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RARE SPIRIT HOUSE FINIAL, BLACKWATER LAKES, 19thCENTURY browse these categories for related items... Directory: Antiques:Regional Art:Oceanic: Pre 1900: Item # 439927
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| Especially Rare 19th Century piece. Kriambit or associated village, Blackwater Peoples (Kambriman language group), Blackwater Lakes Region, Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea. A very rare nineteenth century finial from a Men's Spirit House (Haus Tambaran). This finial was originally one of two, surmounting the Haus Tambaran at either end; the other long gone. The avian figure represented here is from the creation mythology of these people; the bird is rescuing the woman from the beginning of time, and is often represented flying away with the woman to safety. Originally painted, this piece has only survived the past one hundred plus years by having been carved from Garamut wood (Vivex confossus), one of the few species not eaten by termites; and having been saved all these many decades, these many generations, as a religious object, kept and venerated. Measuring approximately 30" in width, the size and weight make the preservation of the icon all the more remarkable. this wonderful piece, when carved in the 1800's, was carved with only stone tools - all that was known to these peoples, then. With the advent of Christianity in the region, traditional religious beliefs such as this represents have declined markedly, and since the mid-twentieth century, are all but forgotten. "Pre-war" or pre-mid-twentieth century cultural art and artifacts from New Guinea are quite scarce, and true nineteenth century pieces are especially rare. | ||
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